A Bay of Blood (1971)

Spawn Lake

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

One of Mario Bava's best films is A Bay of Blood, also released as Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971). A predecessor to the slasher subgenre, it's said to have heavily influenced the Friday the 13th films. It begins with a vicious murder, then resumes as a group of frolicking young people arrive for some summer vacation time beside the lake, only to find themselves in danger with a mysterious killer on the loose. The plot has something to do with ownership of the valuable lakeside land, and you'll never guess who the killer really is. The film contains some of Bava's finest, and most naturalistic work as well as some innovative gore effects and a memorable lakeside striptease from Brigitte Skay. Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli and Laura Betti star.

Kino Lorber continues their most wonderful string of Mario Bava Blu-ray releases with this, though they have definitively settled on the title A Bay of Blood rather than my favorite, Twitch of the Death Nerve. It displays Bava's use of colors to astounding effect. Tim Lucas provides the well-researched and always interesting commentary track. The disc also includes a trailer for this and four other Bava titles.